<p>Hey CC,</p>
<p>I have a question about Standard deviations and curves.</p>
<p>For science classes, does one SD above the mean represent some type of A?</p>
<p>What about half a SD?</p>
<p>Does the mean correspond to a C or a B-?</p>
<p>On my first midterm for OChem I got 2 points below the mean.
The second MT is coming up and I feel much better about the material.
Lets assume I get 1 SD above for the upcoming midterm, and 1.5 SD above in the final,
would I still be able to get an A?</p>
<p>Thanks!!</p>
<p>I appreciate it!</p>
<p>It depends on the individual class itself, the intended curve for the class and how the MTs and Final are weighted. Search on myedu or courserank for grade distributions of the class from previous years to get a better idea of the % of As given. </p>
<p>Assuming a normal distribution, being 1 s.d. above the mean implies that ~16% of the class scored higher than you. Typically, most of the upper div classes (math, econ and stats) I’ve taken are curved to 25-30% As with half of that being As and A+s, and the other half A-s. I usually find that being slightly above 1 s.d. from the mean is sufficient to get an A.</p>
<p>Thanks,</p>
<p>The class I am talking about is Chem 3A.</p>
<p>Any other help from others?</p>